Life is no lullaby
by Myley
Summary: As Tony reaches his sixteen years of age, Frederick makes a dreadful discovery about the stone of Attamon and the human boy. Unaware of the hell Tony's life is, he will have to make a choice between the selfish fate of his fellows and the protection of someone he considers like a son. Tony/Greg AU
1. Defenseless

**Hi guys ! Here I come with a new story. I wrote the first chapter in a hurry so I apology for the mistakes you may find.**

**PARING : Tony/Gregory  
**

**WARNING : Strong language, mature themes  
**

**RATING : T  
**

**SUMMARY : As Tony reaches his sixteen years of age, Frederick makes a dreadful discovery about the stone of Attamon and the human boy. Unaware of the hell Tony's life is, he will have to make a choice between the selfish fate of his fellows and the protection of someone he considers like a son. Tony/Greg AU  
**

**CHAPTER 1 - DEFENSELESS  
**

As far as he could remember, Tony had always hated school. It was long, boring and, in his opinion, useless. He had no idea of what he wanted to do after graduation but whatever that would be, he wanted it to be cool. Ironically, he envied Rudolph for this particular reason : his friend did not have to make any tough choices concerning his future for he had no future which was sad and at the same time (still regarding Tony and his own future uncertainties) comforting. But Tony would never tell him so, he knew just how much Rudolph wanted to be human again and have a life of his own.

The school bell rang and the kids were quick to gather their things and leave the room. As usual, Tony was slower than his comrades. When he left the classroom of his last period of the day, he met Flint and Nigel McAshton who were waiting for him, as usual.

"Don't forget to remind me to buy you shoes with wheels for next Christmas, Thompson." Nigel said when Tony caught them up

"Yeah" added his twin "maybe that would make you a little quicker ! We gonna be late again ! And it's _all your fault_."

"Sorry buddy. Next time don't wait for me !"

"Don't be silly, man. But really, you should try harder. I don't know ! Practice at home !"

"Yeah ! It's been going on for years ! Pretend there's a fire and you must get out your house the quickest possible ! We're always waiting for you ! For basically anything !"

"What can I say ? I like to take my time !" He grinned at the twins who just looked back skeptically.

"Need a lift ?" asked Flint as he and his brother got into their car.

"No, m'good thanks ! I'll take the bus !"

"As you wish mate ! See you tomorrow !"

"See you guys"

The engine roared and the car disappeared in a cloud of gray dust. Tony had tried to get his license too but his lack of focus had him failed twice. He did not complain though, he liked to take the bus, he could listen to music and let his mind run free without having to focus on the road, a thing he was pitifully unable to do.

As he got into the bus, he took his usual seat in the back and Muse started blasting into his ears. He closed his eyes and, as usual, a face invaded his head. He shook it violently, no he could not be thinking about him right now, though he had promised Rudolph he would spot by which indirectly meant that he was going to see him whether he liked it or not. A low growl escaped his mouth and he breathed in deeply trying to regain some composure. How did things become so fucked up ?

When he reached his house, Dottie was in the kitchen drinking tea ; a habit she had taken when they moved in Scotland eight years earlier.

"Had a nice day sweetie ?" she asked.

Tony shrugged : "School day..."

He removed his shoes and jacket. After a moment of silence he spoke again : "Mom, I told Ru I would spot by his place tonight, probably after dinner."

Dottie frowned, "Aren't you supposed to have a big history test tomorrow ?"

"Well, yeah I do but I won't be long, it's just that I haven't seen him in ages and I miss him. Besides, Rudolph was born in the beginning of the seventeenth century, he knows a lot of stuff about British history, he _is_ British."

"He was a kid when that happened !" Dottie objected

"Maybe he was, but he's not now ans there's still his parents ! _They_ were already grown ups with a full functioning brain at that time !"

Tony looked proud of his little stunt. Dottie pouted.

"That's not a valid excuse, young man !"

"Can't say I didn't try..." he said smirking at his mother who sipped her tea, mildly annoyed.

"Fine, but don't be gone too long ! I want you back by ten !"

"Sure thing mom !" he replied as he climbed the stairs to get to his room.

The blue bed was gone and so were the stars and kid toys. The center of the room was now occupied by a King sized bed, a TV set with a wii system and a desk with a computer and dozens of games. Tony was a geek and the twins would always laugh at him about it.

The twins...

In eight years so many things had changed and yet so few. The rivalry between him and the McAshton brothers had matured into a strange friendship ; after all they were the only ones who knew about the existence of vampires and Tony had found into Flint a good listener, especially when he wanted to complain about him. Rudolph was a wonderful friend but the latter subject was not something he could discuss with him, nor could he talk to Anna (she would probably burst into tears and he wanted to avoid a waterfall of fresh bloody tears down his shoulder and clothes, they cost money and he was definitely not a fashion addict).

He rolled onto his bed, hands behind his neck, eyes locked on the ceiling. His pocket jeans vibrated and he took out his phone.

"_I wish you good luck for tonight, take courage, you can do it ! Flint"_

Tony sighed. Tonight was going to be a long night indeed.

XxX

It was past eight PM when he took the path to the old abandoned Manor in which Rudolph's family now lived. He had barely put a foot into the yard that the door opened and a blond twister flew at him.

"Hey Anna !" Tony said, trying to breath in the vice grip of the vampire girl.

"Oh Tony dearest ! It has been such a long time since we last met ! I missed you my darling !"

One thing had not changed at all though : Anna was still heartfully convinced she and Tony were going to be wed and have plenty of baby vampires.

"Anna, let poor Tony breath, will you dear ?"

Tony looked up to see Freda standing in the doorway, smiling kindly at him. Tony returned the smile. He truly adored Freda, she was so nice and calm, a perfect contrast to her paranoid and grumpy husband whom Tony had however grown to love as a second father with time. The contact of mortals had a bit changed the family. They fitted more into the modern society and had traded their Shakespearean costumes for more suitable twenty first century clothing. Freda let her hair down ; they fell nicely in blond curls over her shoulders. She looked more like a person and less like The Queen of Heart. Frederick had been the hardest to convince though. He had not changed much but gone were the collars and the cloak. They had also learned the wonders of hygiene to which Tony was thankful because spending three centuries without taking showers was gross enough...

Anna walked Tony into their house, clung to his arm as if her nonlife depended on it. Once inside, he was assaulted by a very exited Rudolph. Frederick was reading in an armchair and granted the boy a gentle smile and a nod.

"So Tony, what do you want to do ?" asked Rudolph with gleaming eyes.

The next two hours passed by quickly. Tony was both relieved and surprised not to have seen him the whole evening. He was probably gone to hunt or traumatize poor defenseless humans for dear life... He shook his head. He was almost disappointed. Almost. After all they had not met for a week.

No, he could not miss him. The situation could not get that worse. Tony would not let it.

After sealing this new made promise in the back of his head, he opened the front door of the Thompson house and found his parents in front of the TV in the living room, eating some crisps (what a model of parenthood, he thought).

"Nice catching kiddo ?" asked Bob from the couch.

"Yeah, it was cool to see them all again."

"How are they doing ?"

"I guess they're ok, mom. We didn't really go into details about their well being."

"Don't be rude, Tony. It must be awful for them to have to wait another round of three centuries..."

Tony frowned. "Thanks for reminding me, mom ! I had almost forgotten how I had pathetically failed to help them eight years ago !"

Dottie stood from the couch and put a comforting arm around her son' shoulders.

"Oh I'm sorry honey ! I didn't mean to bring that up !"

"It's ok mom, I know you didn't" he mumbled. "Anyways, I'm bushed. See you two tomorrow !"

"Good night, kiddo !"

"Night Dad !"

To say Tony was surprised his mother did not mention the history test subject was an understatement. She was not one to forget such important details. Tony shrugged to himself and took a turn to the bathroom to change and bath quickly.

He did his best not to think about him or how he would screw his upcoming history test with his shining lack of knowledge. Apart from the name of Cromwell (who the heck was this guy already ?) he did not know a thing about the Glorious Revolution.

He _was_ screwed.

Or so he thought before entering his room. When he switched the light on he almost had a heart attack.

"Nice pjs..."

Tony watched wide-eyes as the creature he had tried so hard not to think about the all damn week was carelessly spread on his bed.

"How did you get in here ?" he breathed inaudibly.

"The window" was the only answer he got.

Tony did not fear vampires. He was actually quite comfortable around them. Save for two persons : Frederick Sackville-Bagg because he was frightening and Gregory Sackville-Bagg because to be perfectly honest, the boy/man/vampire/monster/thing (cross the one you want) had serious sanity issues.

Tony kept staring at the vampire in his room. He was wearing his usual black shirt and ripped jeans with New Rocks and a black leather jacket. Tony swallowed. This was not going to end up well.

"What you doing here ?"

Gregory stared blankly at him, blinking.

"I though I could pay you a private visit..."

The smirk on his face had Tony pray for Mercy. _Not again_. He was about to kick him out but his mouth did not seem to quite agree with his sensible side.

"I didn't see you tonight." _Fucking shit, Tony ! You were not supposed to encourage a conversation !_

The smirk on Gregory's face widened : "Owww ! How sweet ! Did you miss me, bloodbag ?"

Tony clenched his teeth. "I already told you not to call me that !"

Gregory stood up from the bed and walked cat-like toward the boy who stepped back against the wall. No, this was nos going to end well _at all_.

"And why not ? You _are_ a bloodbag, after all !"

They were separated only by a few inches and Tony knew Gregory could close the distance between them at any moment. He looked hungry and Tony did not like it. What had he thought already ? Oh yes, that he was disappointed not to have seen him at the Mansion. Well screw that ! Why, oh why had he thought such a stupid thing ?

"I'm _not_ going to feed you, asshole !" Tony whispered venomously.

Gregory chuckled and placed both of his hands on each side of the boy's head on the wall. "Says who ?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Says me."

"Oh ! I see !"

When Gregory put his icy lips upon Tony's, the mortal teen thought he would faint. Greg was hot, he could not deny it, but Greg was crazy and dangerous. Tony was his plaything, his little toy. And Tony hated him because with time he understood that he could not deny the vampire anything. He literally got lost into the deadly embraces. Gregory knew perfectly well he could do whatever he wanted to Tony. He knew perfectly well the human would never complain, whatever the situation. Tony always give up fighting in the end and Gregory just adored his little human pet, his own personal bloodbag.

The kiss was violent and aggressive. Gregory was not a gentle lover ; he had never been and Tony hated him for that too. He was just sixteen for fuck sake !

The human was roughly shoved on the bed. He had barely hit the mattress when he felt the icy grip of the vampire straddling him on his hips. He gasped, desperate for air, desperate for anything that would get him out of here.

"Come on, Tony" Gregory whispered seductively in the mortal's ear "Don't be such a baby ! I know you want it ! I can _feel_ it !"

And to prove his says, the vampire put his hand on the bulge in Tony's pjs and Tony had to bite his lip not to moan.

"You are my thing, never forget that, you little excuse of a mortal !"

Tony felt hot tears sting his eyes. He was so ashamed and scared for he knew Gregory would win, again. He had this power over him. He made him feel so terrified and so good at the same time.

And when the vampire slid his cold hand into his pajama bottom, squeezing his hard member, Tony knew for sure that he was lost for good.

Again.

Gregory grinned devilishly and licked Tony's ear : "Ready ?"

**I hope you liked this prologue. Feedback is highly appreciated.**


	2. Dependence

**Hey guys ! Here comes the second chapter ! Hope you'll like it !**

** I'd like to thank the little vampire lover for their kind review. Thank you very much !**

**CHAPTER 2 - DEPENDENCE  
**

"_Ow, Tony..."_

The next morning, Tony woke up with a horrible headache. He brought his hand to his forehead. He was hot. Outstanding... With a sigh and burning eyes, he stepped out of bed and yawned heavily. He stumbled to make his way to the mirror. A beautiful bite mark proudly decorated his neck.

"Bastard" he groaned as he put his hand on the bite.

It stung but he was used to it. He had been Gregory's personal source of food and sex-toy for at least two years. How everything had started, he was unable to remember. As far as he knew Gregory had always lurked in the dark waiting for the right time to pounce on his favorite prey : him.

His parents were already in the kitchen for breakfast when he went down. His father was cooking and his mother reading the newspaper while drinking her morning coffee.

"Hey Kiddo !" his father greeted, "Slept well ?"

"Yeah !" Tony lied

No he had not slept well at all ; Gregory and him had been... busy until 3AM and it was only 6.30. He managed to cover the marks with his pullover. Thank God it was winter. In summer, keeping the marks hidden was much more complicated. He was lucky not his parents nor Gregory's had ever noticed anything.

"Pancakes ?" Bob offered, a pan full of said pancakes in hand

Tony winced : "No Dad, thank you. I'll just have cereals."

"Are you okay ?" Dottie inquired with a worried expression "You look pale. Did you have those nightmares again ?"

Tony swallowed his cereals, wincing some more. Although the comet was long gone, the dreams about the stone had continued and not Tony nor the Sackville-Baggs understood why. According to Frederick, the dreams should have stopped after the passing of the comet eight years ago. For Tony, they were constant reminders of his failure. He had promised they would be humans again, he had failed and Rudolph and his family were bound to more centuries of endless wandering due to his incompetence.

"I'm fine mom, just tired... I, I went to bed rather late last night... you know, revisions for the test..."

Liar. _Big liar_. No history books had been opened for weeks – rectification, no _school books_ had been opened for weeks.

Dottie frowned a little : "I hope you'll do well then !"

Tony smiled exaggeratedly : "I'm sure I will !"

_Liar_.

XxX

"Don't forget to read chapters 4 and 5 for tomorrow !"

The school bell rang, signing the end of the second period of the morning. In the middle of the classroom, Nigel and Flint exchanged a look before turning their attention back to the sleeping form in the row behind theirs.

Tony felt something shake his shoulder.

"Hey, wake up, Thompson ! Class is over, we gotta move to the other room !"

Tony groaned in his sleep. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and yawned. Flint was staring at him, obviously worried.

"Feeling any better, mate ?"

Tony nodded but the twins did not look the slightest convinced. He gathered his things as best as he could and followed the boys out of the room. When he passed by the teacher, she sent him a pointed look he chose to ignore. He felt awful, cold and exhausted. Gregory had totally emptied him – in so many ways.

"Mr Thompson ?"

He turned back to the teacher.

"Can I have a word with you, please ?"

He swallowed and made sign to his friends to wait for him outside. The twins gave him an apologetic smile and left. The teacher was eying him as if she was trying to read the truth out of him.

"Mr Thompson, you do realize that your marks are disastrous, right ?"

"Yes I know." Tony answered, keeping his head low.

"They keep decreasing rather dramatically, I must add. I don't understand, Tony, you used to be such a good student, my best. And now you are either absent or sleeping in my class. What's the matter with you ?"

"I'm just tired professor, that's all."

She took a deep breath : "Tony, if you have any trouble, you must talk about it."

He swallowed. She was trying to help him he knew that, but there was nothing she could do. No one could. So he gave her a small reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, professor. Really."

The teacher sighed, defeated, but let Tony go.

XxX

_Mom's going to be mad_, Tony thought as he left the test room. He had completely forgotten to ask Rudolph about history enlightenment the night before and just paid the price of his carelessness. His belly growls, reminding him how hungry he was. Luckily enough, it was lunch time.

As he was about to sprint toward the cafeteria, he was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.

"Whoa ?"

Flint stared at him, threatening.

"We gotta talk." He turned to his brother, "Go wait for us, there's something I'd like to discuss with Thompson first."

Nigel agreed and left them. Flint dragged Tony in the corner of the hallway.

"What ?" asked a very annoyed Tony.

"Care to tell me what happened to you again ?"

"What do you think happened ?" Tony whispered ironically, he was so tired.

Flint grabbed Tony's collar. When he saw the fresh bite mark, his eyes grew wide.

"But you told me he wasn't at the Mansion yesterday !" argued Flint, outraged that his friend could lie to him

"And that's true... He was in my room, waiting for me when I came back home..."

Flint pinched his nose. Tony sighed, clearly annoyed by the upcoming conversation ; a conversation he most certainly wanted to avoid.

"So, it happened again..."

Tony closed his eyes but gave no answer. None were needed. He heard the other boy sigh : "How much of your blood did that bastard take ?"

Tony blushed, embarrassed : "Enough to make me faint..."

Clearly furious now, Flint exploded : "Holy Christ ! Thompson ! When is it going to stop ? Tony you can't be his special food forever ! You have to make it stop !"

"How ?" snapped Tony, "you know I don't have a choice !"

"Because you accept this !"

Tony gasped ready to answer something mordant but Flint was quicker : "Tony you're a smart dude, not most of the time okay, but you _can_ be smart _when you want to_. This is serious matter. Do you realize your life is in danger or are you completely oblivious ?"

"I'm not stupid if that's what you're asking." Tony replied coolly

"Then do something !" Flint pleaded

"Like what ? Put a stake through his heart ? Greg is an asshole, I agree, but I won't go that far ! Don't count on me !"

Tony pushed him away and turned to leave : "I'm hungry now. If you'll excuse me."

"Fine ! Fine ! Let him suck you dry ! I'll be delighted when I find my friend dead in a coffin !"

Tony stopped dead in his track. Flint's gaze was desperate : "Please, Tony. That will kill you in the end."

"I'm not dead yet."

"But if it keeps going on, you eventually will be."

Tony remained silent for a moment.

"You know I can't kill him", he finally said, "even if he's a jerk, he's still Rudolph's brother !"

_And your boyfriend_, added Flint mentally but then decided to keep his acid wit to himself : "I know. I was more thinking about vampire repellent like garlic or holly water ! For fuck sake Thompson you are the blood sucker expert ! You know those creatures better than anyone else ! Why won't you just tell his father ? I mean if he knew his son had been secretly draining you for years then..."

Tony cut him off roughly : "Then what ? He'll beat the shit out of him ? He'll forbid him to come see me ?"

_Bingo_. Flint blinked. "Would it be a bad thing ?" he asked slowly

"What ?"

"That Frederick forbids him to come see you ?"

Tony was out of words. He stared stupidly at his friend, desperately looking for a proper answer in the dark places of his mind. Yet the dark places of his mind just played over and over the moments he had spent with Gregory. The vampire hurt him and made his life living hell but...

"_Ow, Tony"_

His voice sang crystal clear in his ears. The way his cold hands traveled on his body, the way he kissed him, the way he bit him and made him come when he was almost unconscious _(Gosh that was so wrong)_, the little smile playing on his lips, his blue eyes shining red into the core of his soul...

Could he say farewell to all of that ? Could he forget and live without all of that ?

And the answer that came naturally frightened him more than icy blue eyes.

No, he was unable to live without all of that. _He couldn't live without him. He needed him.  
_

He looked truly dejected.

Flint might have noticed for he sighed deeply : "That's what I thought..."

Tony snapped back to reality : "What ?"

"You like him."

Tony looked scandalized : "What ? No I don't !"

Flint gave him a blasé look and spoke slowly : "Tony, even if you think otherwise, you are not defenseless. There are so many means you could use to keep Gregory away and yet you don't. If Gregory is able to fuck and drain you, it's only because you let him do it. You know that, and so does he. You like him, and you like _this_. Don't try to deny it. Just be careful, okay. It's a marvel you're still alive after all those years."

Tony had his mouth open and watched his friend turn away. He was in shock.

_You like him and you like this_.

Did he ?

Icy blues eyes and icy hands invaded his mind.

Yes, he did. He shamefully did.

Was it a revelation to him ? No, it was not. Deep inside he had always known that he allowed Gregory to have him. If he had not wanted the situation as it currently was, Frederick would have been told long ago.

With a sigh, he followed his friend to finally get something to eat.

XxX

At the Sackville-Bagg Mansion, a teenage vampire was rummaging through his thoughts in the darkness of his cold room. A name appeared repeatedly : Tony.

Even if he had met the boy hours before, he could still taste his blood in his mouth and feel the warmth of his skin tickling the tip of his fingers. He sighed with contentment, closed his eyes and let his mind run free. The memory of their last encounter brought a smile to his lips. Tony was such a treat. He was so fragile and at the same time so wild. Gregory bit his bottom lip, _he_ was going wild again just by thinking about the mortal boy. He remembered the way his blue eyes had closed while the vampire was draining him – probably too much... A sudden feeling of guilt engulfed him. How was Tony feeling today ? Weak, obviously, _because you are such a gluttonous bastard_. But he had not seen him in so long. They had been gone for a week. A whole week without his everyday treat.

He sighed again and took the piece of clothing spread carelessly on a chair. It was Tony's. His sweet little bloodbag. Tony absolutely loathed the nickname but Gregory adored it. It was so fitting. The shirt still smelled like him but the warmth was gone.

He repressed a laugh when he pictured the expression on Tony's face if he ever was to see the cruel vampire breathing in the smell of his stolen shirt. Yes, Gregory enjoyed playing the role of the champion asshole with the human but it felt so amazing to dominate him senseless, to see the apprehension in his eyes, to hear him moan and breath deeply, to watch him writhe under him. Yes, it was oh so pleasant. He was getting hard again. Why could Tony not be here with him when he was needed ? _You always need him_. Yes, he did, and not just for the rich flavor of his blood.

A knock on his door pulled him out of his reverie. He growled yet bid the intruder to come in. Rudolph perked his head inside the room.

"We are going out to feed brother, will you join ?"

Gregory scoffed. _Feed ? On cows ?_ What an atrocious proposal ! After tasting Tony's blood for years he just could not resign to have plain cows blood running down his throat. Yuck. However, he had to go not to raise any doubt.

"I will."

The "meal" was as Gregory had thought it would be : atrocious. The stench of animal feces was unbearable. The soft and warm skin of Tony had been replaced by some horrid hairy and stinky flesh. Gregory wrinkled his nose in distaste. He had taken very few sips, keeping his appetite for a much more pleasing course.

He had to go, now. His appetite would not wait any longer. He needed to see the boy, to feel him, to have him all the way. _Now_.

Frederick scowled as he watched his eldest son take his obvious leave : "Where do you think you are going, Gregory ?"

The younger vampire turned to his father, looking at him haughtily : "Out for a walk."

The frown on Frederick's forehead increased : "Now ?"

"Yes, I must digest somehow."

The insolent answer did not seem to satisfy the adult who remained silent nonetheless. As if she had sensed a raising argument, Freda intervened : "Frederick, dear, let Gregory go for a walk. There is nothing wrong about that."

Once again, her soothing voice calmed her husband right away. He sighed but nodded.

"Fine. You may go. But do not be long."

"I will not dawdle, father."

Freda smiled and Gregory disappeared in the dark meadow.

Frederick frowned : "I do wonder where he goes every night."

"He is young" Freda justified, "All adolescents have their secrets."

"What about a vampire adolescent ? I do not like this, Freda. Have you observed him tonight ? He has barely touched his meal. Something is wrong with him and I will to know what."

Freda seemed to have understood what her husband meant for she scowled : "If you follow him, he will never forgive you. I am certain that whatever Gregory is doing, it is not worth the betrayal of his father."

"Gregory is unstable, Freda. He already tasted human blood in the past, why should he not reiterate ?"

"Because he knows he must not." she replied with a fake certainty

Frederick gave his wife a skeptical look. Freda lowered her head. She too had noticed that her son was acting quite strangely. He no longer fed or so little. A call from Anna distracted her and she went back inside the house. Frederick stayed alone, staring at the blankness in front of him, a determined expression darkening his face.

XxX

When he made his way to the window, Tony was already deeply asleep. The boy must have been exhausted. Gregory sighed, he could not take as much blood as he did the other night, it was too dangerous for the human's health.

He walked to the bed and sat on it. Tony was so beautiful when he was sleeping. He put a soft cold hand on the burning cheek and stroked it lightly. Tony stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes. When he saw the luminous pupils of the vampire, he gasped a little. The gentleness on Gregory's face was immediately replaced with a cruel smirk.

"Hey Bloodbag, missed me ?"

**I hope you liked it ! Let me know what you think about it ! The plot truly begins in the next chapter so stay tuned !**


	3. In the dread of the night

**Hey guys ! Here the third chapter ! The plot truly begins now, I hope you'll like it !**_  
_

**I would like to thank my two reviewer and the persons who put this story on their alert list, I appreciate it a lot !  
**

**WARNING : there is a lime in this chapter between two males, nothing biggie but if you're a homophobic and hate the idea of two boys kissing, I suggest you to click on the "go back" button, for I will not tolerate homophobic flames, thank you for your comprehension.  
**

**CHAPTER 3 - IN THE DREAD OF THE NIGHT  
**

_-Hey Bloodbag ! Missed me ?_

Tony rubbed his eyes and stared at the smirking vampire in front of him.

"What time is it ?" he asked, repressing a yawn

Gregory chuckled : "Afternoon for the living dead !"

Tony checked his alarm clock, he could read 3.13AM. His face took an exasperated expression as he frowned and scowled : "You do realize that I must go to school tomorrow ?"

Gregory shrugged : "Just a formality !"

He bent over the mortal and hummed his face. Tony's breath caught in his throat.

"Are you mad ?" asked Gregory, getting cocky

Tony lost himself in the pool of the vampire's eyes and simply stared. How can someone so insufferable could be so beautiful ? It was incoherent. After a few seconds of stupid observation, he realized that Gregory was eying him, even more amused, and shook violently his head to clear his shameful thoughts away.

Flint's words played again in his mind : "_You like him"_

He cleared his throat : "I felt like shit today, so don't think you'll be able to use me as you always do. I'm done with it !"

He tried to appear as serious and as menacing as he could but the smile on Gregory's mouth proved him that he had miserably failed.

"You know, I'm beginning to know that little tune, boy !" the vampire whispered in Tony's ear making him shiver

The room fell into deep silence. The two boys were gazing at each other, trying to decipher what their homologue was thinking. Gregory was hungry, and Tony's closeness did nothing to help. Tony knew the vampire was hungry. He wanted to resist and push him away, but the vampire's closeness was not going to help.

_So beautiful_, one thought

_Don't push me away_, the other mentally replied

Eventually, without any further warning, Tony launched his mouth upon Gregory's. The vampire looked shocked at first, but quickly relaxed in the passionate kiss he returned with equal fervor.

XxX

Frederick was in a bad mood. His eldest son acted quite suspiciously and had once more disappeared, they were still those ill cursed creatures wandering on the surface of the earth, Freda never sided with him and always played the perfect Lady, and Rudolph and Anna were both completely oblivious about the world they lived in.

Life was a bitch.

Thus, he had decided to get a grip on things, starting with Gregory. True, it was dishonest but as a concerned father he had the right to know what was amiss with his son – even if it meant (betraying him) following him without his conscious knowledge.

He walked in the cemetery, looking for the usual grunge looks of his eldest to no avail. Where could have he gone ? What was he doing every night ?

_Gregory's lips traveled down Tony's face and settled on his pulse point. He kissed it softly, wringing a moan from the other boy. The vampire chuckled._

"_Don't be too loud, you wouldn't want Mum and Dad to come investigate what's happening in their baby's room ?"_

_Tony blushed furiously. Satisfied, Gregory nibbled at Tony's ear lobe and continued : "What would they say if they found him in such an outrageous position, umh ?"_

_Gregory kissed his lips once more and locked his gaze into the mortal's : "So shut it !" he advised darkly_

_Tony let out a quiet breath and embraced his vampire, snuggling his nose in the crook of his neck._

Freda said it could not be bad. Frederick hoped she was right (even if he highly doubted it).

_Tony's sheets were now a mess and almost kicked out of bed. From his blurred vision, he was unable to distinguish the shapes of the furniture around him. Only the freezing coldness of the vampire' skin mattered. _

_Gregory stopped his kisses to look at him a moment : "Do you like that pjs ?" he asked, panting_

_Tony frowned : "Not that much, why ?"_

_Without any further information, Gregory ripped Tony pajamas shirt in two._

"_That's why."_

"_Asshole !"_

The adult vampire took a turn in their familiar graveyard. He had investigated every single cemetery he knew of but had found no one. It was rather concerning. Was his rebellious son trying to raise a riot ? Was he harming a defenseless human ? He imagined him, a cruel smile on the lips, pinning a poor girl to rip her throat apart while she was screaming in agony and fear. He shivered. Could his son be so monstrous ? In spite of all the years they had spent together, he had the impression of living with a stranger, a boy he knew not and could not undersant. His several attempts at communication had remained unsuccessful. Was he a bad father ? He was aware of being grumpy and stern but all he had been trying to do was to protect his family.

He heard someone scream. Was it Gregory ? Was he harming a human for real ?

_The sheets were spread on the floor and the clothes scattered beside them. Cold and pale flesh was rubbing against warm and tan. The world around them had faded away. Their hands were exploring the body they knew so well, stroking, tasting, possessing every inch of skin they could reach. _

_Gregory smiled against Tony's mouth._

"_I thought you had school tomorrow ?" he whispered in a mocking tone_

"_I thought it was just a formality ?" replied Tony with the same tone_

"_Lewd boy !"_

"_Leech git !"_

_Gregory scoffed and stroked Tony harder, making the other boy pant heavily. The human was coming close to completion. He moaned in Gregory's mouth and arched his back, eyes shut. Gregory was watching him intensely. There was nothing more beautiful in this world. He could hear the fast heart beat and the blood pumping in the veins. Such a pleasant music. _

"_Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Tony. I want you to look at me when you come."_

_Tony complied and locked his hazy gaze with Gregory's. A soft moan escaped his lips as he came over the edge. _

_Unable to hold back any longer, Gregory pierced the tender skin of his neck. Tony whimpered. It was time to feed the bat._

Frederick walked toward the noise. Voices rose in the night.

"Tell me where it is ?"

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you anything !"

Frederick frowned. He walked a little closer and gasped. Near a mausoleum, were three vampires who looked threatening. He recognized the vampires as Samuel, another clan leader and his two sons, Egard and James. The person they were trying to threaten was a human – probably the one Frederick had heard screaming. Frederick sighed. Being the witness of a murder was the last thing to wanted to see and the first he wanted to avoid. As he could not stand against his fellows for a mortal' sake, he turned to leave.

Samuel chose that precise moment to speak again : "We know that _you_ know, mortal. Where is that stone ? Where did you hide it ?"

Frederick gasped again and froze. _The stone_. They were speaking about the stone. Could it be the stone of Attamon ? He turned his attention back to the group of people. The human was visibly hurt and pinned on the wall by the vampire.

"Kill me, I will keep my mouth shut !"

The vampire growled and Frederick silently agreed. That stupid man. When would humans stop messing with their lives ? As more questions began to parade in his head, Frederick heard a vampire hiss. Samuel was about to give in and kill the human.

"Do not kill him, Father," James intervened "that's what he wants. We need him alive so he can tell us where the stone is."

The elder seemed to consider that option before letting go of the man who fell on the ground.

"Fine."

As a clan leader himself, Frederick decided to let his presence known. He stepped out of his hidden spot.

"What is this about ?" he asked in a harsh voice

XxX

Tony laid asleep in Gregory's arms. The vampire checked the alarm, he would have to leave soon. He had dawdled way too much already. He stroked the human's forehead lovingly, feeling so good and content. The boy shivered in his sleep and Gregory put the comforter over them both. He knew he was too cold for Tony but he just was unable to decide to leave the boy's delicious embrace. He had taken little blood that night, unwilling to have Tony get sick. The boy whimpered in his sleep and began to struggle.

"Hey ! Hey, it's okay bloodbag ! It's just a bad dream !"

Tony kept struggling for a moment before waking up with a start. He was panting and sweat covered his face and chest. When he realized the dream was over, he sank into the pillows and curled up against the cold skin of the vampire. Gregory was eying him with a concerned expression.

"Bad dream ?"

"Yeah..."

"Lemme guess, the stone ?"

"That damn stone !" whispered Tony still unable to breath properly

He closed his eyes and rubbed his burning cheek against the cold flesh of Gregory's chest.

"What did you see ?" he asked

Tony sighed and locked his gaze on the ceiling.

"Something different."

"How different ?"

"I saw men – I mean human men – running with the stone in hand. They opened the door of a church, or an abbey, something like that. I think they were trying to hide it. They looked very worried and scared. It was a bit blurry, not very clear..."

"You didn't see us ?" asked Gregory, surprised

Tony shook his head : "Uh, uh."

"Weird !"

"The weirdest thing is that they didn't look like they belonged to the seventeenth century. Their clothes were quite modern..."

"You mean that this vision happened not a long time ago ?"

Tony nodded. Gregory looked stunned.

"We must tell father !"

"I know"

Gregory kissed Tony's forehead and the mortal looked astonished by the kind – and unusual – gesture.

"Try to go back to sleep."

XxX

"Frederick !" greeted the eldest vampire, "what brings you here, my friend ?"

"An unfortunate mission, I must say. But let us not dwell on something that is so clearly out of the subject."

He turned to face the human who was watching him strangely. There was no fear in his eyes, on the contrary, he looked... relieved ? Foolish human.

"What do you know of the stone, human ?"

"Do not bother, Frederick. We have been trying to make him talk for hours. He is as mute as a tombstone."

"Is he the only one to know ?"

"Probably not. He was not alone when we found him, but his little human friends managed to escape us. We just caught this one."

As the other vampire was about to say something, a voice called his name. He winced : "My wife."

He turned toward Frederick : "Could you watch that stupid human while me and my sons go have a talk with Elena ?"

"Of course" replied Frederick still boring into the human' soul.

When his fellows left, he tried his best not to assault the pitiful creature. Surprisingly enough, the pitiful creature spoke first : "I have been looking for you."

Frederick raised his eyebrows : "Is that so ?"

"Yes."

"And may I inquire why ?" he asked in a sarcastic tone

"Because I know you will protect it. You must protect it."

Frederick looked irritated : "Protect what ?"

"The stone !"

The vampire froze and turned his attention back to the hurt human : "You know where it is, don't you ?"

"Yes, I do. Listen to me, we do not have much time, they'll be back any minute, now."

"Do you have it ?" cut the vampire

"No"

Frederick lowered his head, defeated. That would have been too easy. He was about to shut the human up when the latter said something that froze the vampire on the spot : "But you do."

Frederick looked up at him, stunned : "What ?"

"You have the stone. Have had it for years without knowing."

"What are you saying... We have no stone !" argued Frederick, clearly angry now

The human looked unfazed : "You never wondered why you never found it after all those years of assiduous research ?"

Frederick was speechless.

"You were looking for a stone, but there is no stone !"

"But you just said..."

"The hunters were afraid your would find it before the passing of the comet eight years ago, and they didn't know how to destroy it so they took it and hid it so you could never find it again. A common hidden place would have been too easy to discover so they used another trick."

The human had difficulties to speak but Frederick urged him to continue : "They changed it" he finished

"Changed it ?"

"Yes. They invoked dark magic to change the form of the stone and turn it..." he choked

"Turn it into what ?" asked the vampire, impatient

"A human. They turned the stone into a human. That's why you never found it."

The vampire felt dread engulfing him : "The stone is human ?"

"In appearance, it is."

Frederick remained silent for a while. Was this human insane ? Why was he telling him all of this ? However curiosity took the upper hand : "And you know who this human is I assume."

"I do."

Frederick ran a nervous hand through his hair : "This is ridiculous ! Why should I believe you ?"

"You know him" said suddenly the human

"Him ?" snapped the vampire

"Yes. The hunters had tried to keep the stone away from you so they sent its human form far from here and erased its memories. They sent it to America in an American family so you could never meet him by any chance. But something happened, something no hunters had fathomed : the stone somehow returned. His parents moved here and he befriended a vampire."

The more the man talked the more Frederick wanted this to be a bad joke.

_American. A boy. Befriended a vampire_.

As if it was not enough, the human completed : "Your son..."

Memories floated through the surface : "_He dreams about us", "I can help !", "We shared a vision !"_

And a name flashed in his mind, blond hair, blue eyes.

"Tony..."

As Tony was watching his vampire flew away through the window into the night sky, his eyes shone. Two pieces of rubies flashed and replaced for a split second the azure of his pupils.

TO BE CONTINUED...

**So ? Not too confused ? I'll update soon ! **


	4. Boys will be boys

**Yop ! Fourth chapter up to be read ! Enjoy guys !**

**PS : the song in this chapter belongs to Furslide.**

**CHAPTER 4 – BOYS WILL BE BOYS**

"Tony _is_ the stone ?" asked Frederick weakly

The human nodded : "Yes..."

The vampire took a deep breath and tried to assimilate all the new information he had gathered. This was simply incredible and in the worst possible meaning. The child he had known for years and saw grow up into a young man was the mystical object they were desperately trying to find. This was pure folly. He swallowed and began to make some order in his mind.

"So, for all those years... Tony has been the stone for all those years ?"

"Tony was, is and will always be the stone, no matter what. This is all he is. This is all he can only be."

A flash of anger burned in the vampire's eyes. He couldn't accept the fact that a boy he had so genuinely given his trust to had been lying to them for so long. Tony was a traitor.

Frederick growled. He had given them fake hope with his dreams, his smile, his contagious enthusiasm...

"He knew we were looking for it and he..."

The man seemed to have noticed what the vamp was thinking for he cut him off : "No ! Tony is an innocent boy ! He knows nothing of his true nature, he thinks he is just a normal human. I swear, he has never betrayed you. He truly loves you and tried to help."

Frederick turned to the human, his anger vanishing a bit : "Tony is oblivious, then ?"

The man nodded.

"What about his parents ?"

"They do not know either. They think Tony is their actual son and has been for sixteen years."

Frederick growled again but the man's words echoed in his head and he frowned : "You said the stone was turned eight years ago ?"

"I did. Tony is only aged of eight years and two months. The eight previous years are fake memories implanted by magic into his head when he was created, as well as Dorothy's and Robert's.

This angered the vampire once more : "You abused them ! You let his presence abuse us ! How dared you violate their minds like that ? You had no right to do so !"

The vampire was pacing, his face now livid.

"Tony mustn't know" said suddenly the man

Frederick stopped and turned to face him : "And why not ? He has the right to know who he truly is !"

"You do not understand. As long as he ignores his identity, his power remains asleep and his magical aura hidden. If you tell him, the wall between his fake human memories and his real ones will collapse. It will not just be Tony but every single vampire and hunter. They will all know and go after him. We already failed enough in erasing his mind, do not make it worse."

Frederick baulked at it.

A thought crossed his mind : "You failed you say. Tony's dreams about the stone are not dreams, right ?"

"No. They are the remains of what is left of his memories before the transformation. Why do you think Tony is so comfortable with you and your family ? Your son ? Because he already knew him. Not from his dreams like he believes but from his past. You met him before, three hundred years ago. Although, he looked different at the time, it is still him. His hair, skin, eyes, his blood, all his being composes that stone you held in your hands."

Frederick traveled back quickly in time through his mind. He could see the stone, its reddish light shining in his hand. And then, he saw the equally shining eyes of a boy burning into his core.

He looked appalled.

"This is impossible" he sighed weakly

"You must protect him" recalled the human

Frederick snapped back to reality : "If Tony is the stone, then he can make us human again ! Why would it be a bad thing to let the other vampires know ? We need that stone !"

The human looked unfazed : "And what price are you willing to pay for that ?"

The vampire frowned : "What do you mean ?"

"I mean life. In this form, the power of the stone is unusable. If you want to become human again, you need to get the stone back to its original form. It is the only way."

"Can we do this ?" asked inaudibly the vampire

"Oh, yes."

Frederick frowned : "But Tony. Would he..."

"The only way to give its original form back to the stone is to destroy the current one. In other words : if you want to be human again, you will have to kill Tony first."

This was a bomb for Frederick. The human continued : "Tony cannot die easily though. His power makes him invincible. He can't be hurt nor killed by any existing weapon. If you want to destroy him, you must have him perish by fire."

Frederick leaned his back on the wall of the mausoleum. This was the worst situation he would ever be confronted to. He was dejected.

"Why are you telling me all of this ? I am a vampire, your enemy. I need the stone. You are giving me capital information." he whispered

"You are not my enemy. You and I are on the same side."

Frederick laughed bitterly : "Oh really ?"

"I know you will protect him. You wouldn't let anyone harm him."

"Why are you so sure of it ?" asked Frederick, menacingly

The human smiled : "Because you love that boy like a father."

The statement hurt, and it hurt because it was painfully true. He cared for Tony as if the boy were his own son. He stared in the distance, eyes blanked, low voiced.

"You want me to chose between my own fate and the fate of a boy I consider as a third son. How could I ever do that ?"

_I lost an island in the ocean  
The place where nickels come to gamble on their faces  
She took the offer to be the daughter  
We pledge allegiance to the one who offers social graces _

Frederick wandered in the cemetery like a lost soul. He did not even know where he was going. The conversation he had had with the human still played in his mind, over and over again. He had to make a choice between abandoning his dream to become human or immolating an innocent boy as a sacrifice to his mortality reward.

A life for a life.

_Please don't blame me  
Please don't blame me_

Eight years of progressive taming. Eight years he had spent in knowing the boy and accepting him in his life and family. And now he had to choose if he wanted to be his executioner – his torturer – or his savior.

He alone had the power to save or to lead Tony to his pyre. He was the only one who would trigger the situation in a way or the other.

This was madness. That human had put a burden way too heavy on his already bent shoulders.

_'Cause I'm in over my head,  
In over my head  
It's for the best _

He remembered the first time he had met Tony – Tony was not "the stone", Frederick absolutely refused (could not accept) to directly link the boy with a cold and soulless object. If Tony had been that object eight years ago, it was not an object Frederick had smelled that night in the cemetery. It was the blood of a living human little boy. Tony was alive. He was real. He had a conscience and a heart. He could feel emotions and had feelings.

And he was a part of his family.

_I ripped up the picture  
The one in the kitchen  
I looked weak my eyes they gave it all away  
I don't deny it  
I still haven't found it  
I proudly wear the scars  
I've challenged every crutch so far _

When he looked up, he realized he had unconsciously walked to the Thompson house. Tony's window was dark.

He landed smoothly on his balcony and opened the window.

Tony was deeply sleeping. He didn't look like a shell. He looked so real, yet he was not. He was nothing but a magical invention. He was the product of man's madness and cruelty. He held out his hand to slowly reached the boy's cheek. He touched it lightly with the tip of his fingers. The smoothness and the warmth were real. There was no place for doubt.

He surreptitiously closed his eyes. What was he going to do ? How could he ever make such a choice ?

_Please don't blame me  
Please don't blame me  
'Cause I'm in over my head, in over my head  
It's for the best and I'm in over my head, in over my head_

Yet, as he left the room and flew away in the starred sky, there were a few things he was positive about : he would tell no one about this, not even Freda.

The less people would know, the less Tony would be in danger.

No one had to know what Tony really was, or what could happen to him if his power was to be used.

Nor that Gregory' smell lingered on Tony and every single inch of the boy's room.

_It's for the best_

**So ? Sorry, the chapter is a bit short. I'll update ASAP guys !  
**


	5. Play pretend

**New chapter online ! I'd like to thank all the persons who put this story on their alert/favorite list ! Hope you'll like it !  
**

**WARNING : crude language and sexual themes_  
_**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5 : PLAY PRETEND**

The next day was a Saturday. Tony woke up at noon and spent the whole "morning" (= from ten to 2pm) playing Dragon Age 2 on his gaming computer. He had made the inner promise to use his free time for more... intellectual occupations like homework and study but the game had just finished downloading and he _had_ to try it out, only to make sure he had not spent his money on some virtual crap.

Dottie's voice could be heard downstairs : "Tony you up already ?"

The sound of her shoes cracking the delicate wood of the stairs resonated against the walls of the corridor. Her steps sounded closer and closer to his door and she began to talk again :

"I'm gonna go buy some stuff for my new sculpture. I guess you should..."

She never got to finish that sentence. The door she had already almost opened banged loudly against the wall.

"TONY ! I hope you're joking ! What do you think you're doing ?"

Tony was way too absorb in his fight against an ogre to realize the seriousness of the situation.

"Busy, mom" was his only clever reply.

Yet, everybody knew – including Rudolph – that saying "busy, mom" to Dorothy Thompson would automatically provide the exact same reaction as throwing fresh pudding on Frederick Sackville-Bagg's head.

Bad. Really bad.

Dottie ferociously unplugged the computer and Tony's eventual victory upon the ogre turned black forever (or until he would give it another go). Completely horrified, he turned to his mother who was positively fuming.

"Do you happen to remember that talk we had about your catastrophic school situation ? I promised the teacher she wouldn't have to report you because you'd get to work and improve your grades ! _You_ promised me, too ! And now ? You playing _video games when you are supposed to do your homework _!"

She yelled the last words and Tony flinched. He had upset her, this would lead to no good.

"But, mom", he tried to defend himself but she cut him off

"_Homework_", she muttered, "NOW".

Tony sighed but complied. He knew better than to enrage his mother even more. He made his way to his schoolbag and began to take out books and pencils. His Saturday morning was ruined and he hated math. Oh Happy Day !

After spending countless hours in front of his math book and facebook account – "TONY ! SWITCH THAT DAMN COMPUTER OFF !" – he eventually wrote the final number with a satisfied smile, which faded just a bit when he caught a glimpse of what remained : up to ten absolutely boring pages to read in Geography and an English essay about – double ahem – _passion_ ; his teacher must have watched Bridget Jones one too much time. He did not have a clue of what he could write : "I give my blood every night to my vampire boyfriend, can it be considered as a passionate act ?"

Scratch that.

He scratched his head and laid it on his desk. Unconsciously, he brought one of his hand against the skin of his neck. When his fingers met two small holes, he stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. He turned his head toward the bed. He could almost smell the vampire on the sheets. His eyelids closed and his breath became deeper. Two pearly white fangs flashed in his mind and he brutally opened his eyes. He brought his hand back to his neck. The burning pain of piercing skin was fresh in his memory and he shivered.

He had slept really bad the previous night. Dread seemed to have filled him for no apparent reason. It felt as if something ominous was going to happen. Or already had.

XxX

Sleep would definitely not come for Frederick. He gazed at the darkness of the room like a blind man looking for light. The words of the human continued to play in his head like a melody of bad quality.

"_If you want to be humans, you will have to kill Tony first._"

He had killed the human. According to the latter this was the only solution to guarantee the protection of the truth. It was the first time in three hundred years he had ended a human life and this was not something he was proud of. He had claimed the man tried to kill him and that he merely defended himself. Of course Samuel had been rather displeased but Frederick pretended he did not care. It was as if his whole life had been turned upside down – which it actually was. All the things he believed in collapsed to be replaced by anguish, fear and a massive feeling of injustice. He tried to sort all this mess out but found himself unsuccessful.

Besides, there was yet another problem he was unwilling to think about : Why was Gregory' smell so strong in Tony's bedroom ? Many answers popped into his head. He liked none.

One of them seemed rather too relevant to be ignored : the bedroom was probably the place where Gregory disappeared every night. What for ? He did not wanted to know.

His son was already home when he went back. Tony' smell was strong on him. He could have sworn he saw his wife frown when she was hit by the boy' scent.

Disturbing images invaded his mind and he violently shook his head to get rid of them.

He finally fell into a restless slumber.

_It was nighttime. Men were running, short of breath. A gigantic abbey rose into the dark like a Gothic monument in a horror movie. The Scottish landscapes could easily be recognized. They opened the loud door and hurried inside. They gathered in the middle of the vast room. One of the men held out an object ; it was a shinning red jewel. They all looked at it then at each other, panting and scared. The fourth man stood up and took a burning torch from the hands of another. He walked to the altar._

"_My Lord, here is given to thee the Demon in the flesh. He is the link and the link must be severed."_

_He turned on himself to face what looked like a pyre. The other men gathered around him and began to chant. He put the torch down and set the wood on fire. When he looked up, Tony was gazing at him, tied to the pyre, terrified and burning. _

Both Frederick and Tony woke up with a start. One with an anxious expression, the other appalled by the atrocious meaning of what he just had seen.

XxX

It was past eleven when Tony escaped his mother' supervision to visit the Sackville Baggs. He had to tell Frederick about the dream he had had the other night – he was still unsure of what to think about the new one with the pyre though.

Freda opened the door and bid him to come in with a warm smile. Rudolph and Anna came to greet him. They chatted for a couple of minutes before the figure of the third child appeared in the doorway. Gregory leaned against the frame and nodded to the boy, an evil smirk gracing his lips. Tony discreetly swallowed, scowled and turned back his gaze on his two friends.

From the living room, Frederick had not missed a single detail of the quick exchange. He wondered how he could have been so blind : the way Gregory's eyes traveled up and down Tony's body was obvious. Disgustingly so.

Seeing Tony there, in the hallway of his house, was the most difficult thing to overcome. The boy had stood at the exact same spot countless of times in the past but now, everything was different. He knew. It was still strange to be aware that his precious stone – the object of his freedom – was _there_, just a few meters away from his reach and had been for so many years. Almost everyday he had have the stone close to him without knowing it. It was both strange and scary. If he extended his arm, he could touch it. The stone was there, just somewhere beneath the smooth human skin.

Feeling eyes on him, Tony turned his head toward their source. Frederick gasped a little. The way Tony's eyes burned into him almost set him on fire. He could see the red light of the stone shining in the boy's orbs. His power was lashing over him in waves, as if the stone were trying to make him know that it knew that he knew.

Unable to hold it any longer, the vampire nodded a bit too stiffly to the human boy and retreaded in the study. Freda frowned. Her husband and son were definitely acting weirdly.

Frederick remained barricaded in the confined room for what seemed like hours. A soft knock on the door startled him. He opened it, certain to see Freda asking him if he was okay. Therefore, when he met azure orbs, his eyes widened in shock. Tony stared at him curiously, making him look like a tamed puppy. The adult cleared his throat :

"Tony ?"

"I need to talk to you."

Frederick swallowed ; he had not yet envisioned a confrontation. However, Tony did not wait for an invitation. He walked past the vampire and stopped in the middle of the room.

"I had a dream the other night", he began.

Frederick swallowed. The boy noticed not and continued : "I dreamed about the stone. It was very short and unclear but I saw five men running to a big church and I think they were trying to hide the stone. Maybe it's still hidden there ?"

The vampire stared at the human boy. He genuinely was ignorant about his true identity. The way he was trying to help them without knowing that he was not really alive, not really real was heartbreaking. His life was a lie. He was what he was trying to find.

"That is great news", the older replied, trying to sound composed.

"I can try to know what church it was and give you a report. I'll probably find something on the net."

He sounded so enthusiastic. Frederick felt his dead heart swell in pain.

"That sounds like a good idea. I will tell the rest of the clan about your findings."

Tony smiled warmly and the dull pain swelled some more. The vampire nodded swiftly in response and the human left the room, leaving the adult lost and frozen. _If only you knew, my child. _He had a meeting with the clan in a couple of days and knew for certain he would have to lie. _Pardon me, Freda_.

XxX

Tony decided to stay over at Rudolph's so that they could have a buddies night. This kept Gregory away from his plaything which displeased him the highest. He could not risk to venture in the room with his little brother on the way though.

Tony left the manor early in the morning and spent his Sunday on his bed, trying to write something relevant for his English paper. He should have asked to Anna, he thought bitterly, she would have known exactly what to write about _Passion_ ! She probably would have written a poem about her and her _Tony dearest _; this filled him with disgust and he thanked the stars he actually told her nothing (nor to Gregory for that matter...)

Although his mind had remained clean from any any new dreams about the stone, he decided to Google the religious locations in the area – he was positive the Abbey was in Scotland. Problem was : Scotland was vast and there were many churches. It was still better than writing romantic crap, he decided. He went to his computer and launched the search. About five minutes later, his phone vibrated.

It was a text message from Nigel :

"_I heard my grand father talk about a bunch of vampires roaming the area. Your precious leech family should be careful. Hunters are on the go."_

He frowned and made a mental note to tell Greg next time he saw him.

XxX

As Gregory made his way to Tony's, he was stopped by his father.

"Where are you going, again ?"

"Are you spying on me ?" Gregory asked with an attitude

"I asked you a question, insolent boy !"

"I am hungry !"

Frederick raised an eyebrow : "You already fed !"

He had an idea of the place Gregory was heading and his son's answer only added more fuel to his doubts : "My thirst is not quenched yet !"

And it certainly was not. Twenty four hours without his everyday treat was unbearable. He needed to see Tony the soonest. However, his father was not going to hear any of it.

"You fed enough. There is no need for you to leave this house ! Hunters are chasing our kind and I will not have you risk your life out of gluttony."

"I am _dead_ !" he spat

Frederick's eyes narrowed : "_Whatever._ You are staying here, and that is final !"

Gregory's face contorted in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing ! His father could not keep him from seeing Tony !

But he did. And Gregory remained grounded under his strict supervision. This was not going to do !

XxX

Tony waited for Gregory to come, in vain. When the alarm clock read 4AM he began to panic : had Gregory been caught by hunters ? Was he hurt ? Worse, was he... _dead_ ? His heart missed several beats. And it was with appalling thought that he surrendered in Morpheus embrace.

He hated Mondays. Mondays were cursed. The worst unimaginable things always happened on Mondays.

As he made his way to his English class, he was blocked by Elton and his stupid group of friends ; they were the official group of assholes of the school and they loved bullying Tony. It was at moments like this that his missed his old rivalry with the twins.

"Lookey what we got here !" Elton said with a dirty smirk, "isn't it our little queer mascot !"

Tony sighed with annoyance : "I don't have time for that, Elton, clear off already !"

"Don't you talk to me like that, fag !" the other replied with hatred and disdain

Tony was unaware of how they came to know he was _"dating"_ a guy, but the news had spread around school like a virus, and now he was a number one scapegoat. He swallowed, trying to sound bored.

"Get lost."

"Or what ? You gonna cry like the pussy you are ?"

They all laughed. Tony felt his blood boil. He hated them all, those poop heads who thought so high of themselves. As he was about to lose his temper, someone came to his rescue.

"Don't you have anything better to do ?"

It was the twins. How ironic was that ? His first tormentors were now his rescuers ! Elton gave Flint a cold glare to which the teen did not flinch a bit.

"Bodyguards to the rescue !" joked one of the guys, "Thompson must be rather skilled !"

He winked. Another made an obscene gesture. Tony fumed again, ashamed and humiliated. He looked like a bull ready to charge. Nigel must have felt it for he put his hand on his friend' shoulder.

"Don't, man" he said in Tony's ear, "don't play his game, that's what he wants."

Tony knew he was right, yet it still hurt. They took him away to the English classroom, Elton and his minions still laughing behind them. Once settled at their desks, Tony chose the bathroom argument to escape. He locked himself in and sank into the cold linoleum, his head on his knees.

What was wrong with him ? He knew he was different. Damn ! He _felt_ different. It was not just Gregory. He knew he was attracted to men. After all, he would never admit it, but Rudolph had been his very first boy crush. And then he totally fell for the older brother. He knew there was nothing he would do to change that. He was gay and into vampires.

He was a freak.

He banged his head on the wall and felt tears wet his cheeks. There was something within him. He knew not what it was but he could feel it. This impression that he did not really belong, that he had no place in this world. Minutes passed before Flint came to knock on his door.

"Mate, you in here ? You okay ? Teacher's here. You can't stay locked in forever !"

Reluctantly, he opened the door. He did not want his friend to see him crying. However, if Flint noticed he had cried, made no comment to which Tony was grateful.

"Come on. Don't let those wankers affect you. They're no worth it."

Tony laughed bitterly : "_YOU_ say that ! I remember a time you were a bloody wanker too !"

Flint looked rather uncomfortable.

"I haven't forgotten. But I was a kid. Rich and stupid. That's my only excuse. Elton is 17."

"And he's not rich" completed Tony

"No, but he's stupid for sure !" finished Flint

They laughed. Tony dried his tears. Flint smiled.

"Come on !"

XxX

Frederick's eyes were locked on the clock. The monthly meeting with the clans was to happen tonight. They will all discuss their new discoveries about the stone. Usually, to gather new pieces of information and feel his hopes heightened was a really exciting time. However, tonight was not going to be exciting. He rather felt ill, as if he had eaten something poisonous. For the first time in three hundred years he felt he could throw up. What was he going to say ? As a clan leader he was supposed to lead the conversation and the researches. And Samuel would probably bring up the human topic. He would tell everyone they had met humans who knew of the stone and that Frederick stayed alone with him for thirty minutes.

And of course, Frederick would have to explain and answer the questions.

He sighed again. A look at the clock indicated him that it was 10.30, it was time to go.

Gregory smirked. With his father gone, he would be able to visit his bloodbag. He played the perfect little boy till he was gone to make sure no suspicions were raised in his father's heart. His mother accompanied him to the meeting. They would talk about the stone. Hopefully some good news would be brought about ; if he were human again he could grow up with Tony, the boy was sprouting fast and soon enough he would be too tall for Gregory to hold him.

He made his way out to the Thompson castle. When he landed on the boy's balcony, he found him on his bed, preparing some tobacco.

Tony sensed the vampire's presence. A bitter smile graced his lips.

"There comes the leech !" he joked without humor, his eyes still focused on the cigarette paper in his hands.

"Waiting for me ?" Gregory grinned

Tony did not look at him as he spoke on a monotonous tone : "You didn't come last night", he just stated

Before the vampire could reply something dirty he continued with the same voice : "Nigel texted me about some bloodsucker hunters in town. I thought you had been caught."

There was no emotion whatsoever in his voice. The cigarette was ready. He put the filter in his mouth and lighted it.

"I'm good, thanks for caring about my undead ass !" Gregory replied, sitting on the bed, "My father is getting suspicious about me. He forbade me to go out."

"My, my, that just makes more blood for you to suck tonight !"

Gregory grinned. He just could not let that one go. Tony knew it. Thus, he was not surprised when the other leaned forward and whispered in his ear : "Just your blood ?"

Tony kept a poker face.

"Well, what else could that be ?"

"Oh ! I'm thinking of something else I could suck..."

Tony posed a second and puffed on his cigarette. He blew the smoke in the vampire's face.

"Thank you for the offer, but no, thank you."

Gregory pouted : "Come _on_, bloodbag !"

He started kissing the boy's jaw and neck, sending shivers into the human. He put his hand on Tony's belly and rubbed his muscles. Tony took another fag before shoving his attacker off. Gregory fell off the bed and looked up at Tony who was still unnaturally calm and composed.

"What was that for ?" he complained

"I said, _no thank_ _you._ Feed on me if you want, but that's all you'll have !"

Gregory stood up and eyed the boy menacingly.

"And why not ?"

"Because I don't want to", he replied calmly

Gregory pouted again and crossed his arms on his chest : "Spoiled my fun."

"Sorry about that", Tony shrugged sounding not sorry for the very least

The vampire stared at him, absolutely pissed and hurt. He did not like it when Tony rejected him. He had waited all day long to hold his bloodbag in his arms and feel his tender flesh under his fingers. All the wait for nothing. Blood did not even sound appealing without the wrestling and the moans.

Tony laid down on his bed, his cigarette almost completely consumed. He stared at the ceiling. Gregory laid beside him. The smoke was making beautiful patterns above them.

"You stink of burned tobacco", Gregory remarked after a moment of silence

"You stink of death", Tony replied tit for tat

Gregory frowned, obviously hurt, and began to sulk like a two year old. Tony took notice of it and chuckled. His beautiful vampire could be such a cry baby !

"I'm hungry", Gregory said after a while

Without a word, Tony handed him his wrist. Gregory scowled.

"I wanna fuck you before", he whined

"Can still whistle for that, love !"

Gregory stood up : "Why are you such a twat tonight ?" he shouted, clearly annoyed

"I'm not. Just don't feel like fucking, that's all."

"And why not ?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU" ! Tony exploded, crashing his second cigarette on his comforter.

Taking notice of the vivid hurt in the vampire's eyes, he softened a bit : "Not tonight. I had a tough day, Greg."

The vampire sulked and pouted some more. Tony extended his arm.

"Drink if you want. That's all you'll have."

When he understood that blood would be the only thing he would have from Tony that night – and that it was generous enough of the boy to let him feed – he took the arm and bit harshly in the wrist, just to show his displeasure making his human gasp out of pain. Tony whimpered a bit but watch his lover feed. It was a painfully erotic thing to watch. Gregory locked his passionate gaze into his and for a split second, Tony felt his resistance weakened.

_What is Passion _?

Tony had the answer for sure.

XxX

Everybody was already there when Freda and Frederick arrived at the location where the meeting was supposed to take place. Dozens of vampires were waiting for them. Freda smiled kindly, Frederick swallowed, nervous as hell.

The vampires were looking at him expectantly. Samuel smiled at him ; the message was clear.

As Frederick took his seat, he just had one certainty : he had to protect Tony.

* * *

**REVIEWS ? **


	6. Within

**Hello guys ! Here comes the new chapter ! I hope you'll like ! I also would like to say that I have corrected any grammar and spelling mistakes I noticed in the previous chapters ; I am so absent minded, it's terrifying ! T_T I just hope I didn't forget any...**

**WARNING : language, slash (no lemon in this chapter, though)  
**

**A big THANK to all the reviewers, those who put this story on their alert/favorite list. I appreciate it mucho mucho ! ^^  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6 : WITHIN**

Frederick sat on one of the old and dusty chairs and checked the room full of new found threats. He knew everyone. Seventy two hours ago, they were still considered as good friends. Seventy two hours ago, he was still eager at coming to the mid-seasonal gathering and hear about potential way outs. But now, seventy two hours later, he was under the impression of having been shoved into the shoes of a spy, or propelled into another dimension. He felt thoughtfully paranoid. When one of the vampires smiled at him or nodded, he would freeze and try the hardest possible to convince himself that the vampire in question did not know of his betrayal – could not know of his betrayal.

The social formalities lasted for almost an hour. Freda was in deep conversation with another woman and Frederick nodded politely to those around him with no strength to move forward or even speak. Eventually, all took a seat. Samuel was the first to speak ; to Frederick's greatest displeasure.

The man cleared his throat to catch the other's attention :

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear fellows. Welcome to our three hundred and sixty fourth meeting. I know it is tradition to make a speech, but I thought that maybe, for this year, we could disregard it."

He stopped speaking and gazed at the assembly with the smile of a predator. Frederick shivered in his chair. After a few seconds of silence, Samuel spoke again :

"Indeed, tonight, I have for you, my friends, some good news !"

The other vampires stopped breathing (in a manner of speaking, of course) and began to talk enthusiastically with each other. Even Freda joined a conversation. Frederick closed his eyes. This was not going to be good.

"A few weeks ago, my sons and I found a village of humans. They call themselves "Shasint" and are probably parts of Gypsy clans. I do not know how they came to have information about the stone of Attamon but it happens that those gypsies do know where the stone is !"

Angry voices rose in the room. Frederick tried to disappear from his spot and melt into the floor. He, however, did not encounter any success.

"They have the stone ! I am positive they have it !" Samuel continued with more vigor now that he had the audience support, "And they hid it from us ! To keep us from becoming humans again !"

More cheers rose.

"My sons and I managed to capture one of them before he could leave with the rest of his clan."

"Where is he ?" asked one of the vampire on a harsh tone

"Dead, unfortunately." Samuel responded a bit too quickly

The audience burst out in rage but Samuel tried to keep them calm :

"Ladies and gentlemen – ladies and gentlemen – please", he said waving his hands, "we tried to make him talk to no avail. Those men are as tough as they are stubborn ! However – however – one of us remained alone with him for a moment and I like to think that perhaps luck was a bit on his side, more than it had been for us anyway. That is why I am now going to give him the lead."

Frederick closed his eyes. Samuel made a sign toward him.

"Frederick, my friend, the stage is now yours. Enlighten us !"

When he reopened his eyes, the audience was staring at him and he wished with all his might that he could evaporate in thin air. As this would not happen, he left his chair and walked toward the podium. Dozens of pairs of eyes were locked on him. The moment he had feared all month was eventually happening and it felt worse than he thought it would. As he could not remain silent forever, he cleared his throat in an attempt to fill the heavy silence of anticipation.

_I carry the plight of our community on my shoulders,_ he thought as Freda smiled encouragingly at him.

After what felt like hours of silence, he began to speak, still unsure of what to do and what to say.

_Protect him. Protect Tony_, the voice in his head kept repeating.

"Dears friends, Samuel told you the truth : a few weeks ago, I did encounter him and his two sons trying to make a human talk about the stone, as I did remain with said human for about half an hour. I, too, tried to make him talk. And now that I stand here, facing you all, now that I must gaze into your hopeful faces, I wish I could give you extraordinary news, tell you that he confessed everything and that I know the exact location of the stone. I wish I could tell you that this curse is coming to its demise and that soon we will be humans walking under the blazing sun. But that would be a lie."

Frederick stopped for a second. It would be a lie, indeed. The stone no longer existed. The stone was no longer an option to behold. They were definitely doomed and they had to deal with it. In front of him, hopeful faces turned gradually into broken expressions.

He continued :

"What happened during those thirty minutes was this : I tried to make him talk, he remained stubbornly silent. I shook him, he stood perfectly still. Samuel is right, those humans will not betray their own clan, they reek of loyalty. Besides, those "Shasints" are dangerous. Hardly had I turned my back on the man that he threw himself at me and tried to use a pointy stone as a stake. A fight started. In the end, I had no other choice than killing him or it would have been me."

He lowered his face in shame. Outraged voices rose through the silent room.

"I know that by doing so I broke one of our rules concerning the non killing of human beings. I merely defended my own safety. This would be my sole justification."

Silence filled gradually the room once again. When it reached its mute peak, Samuel talked again :

"Then, we need to find another one of those humans."

Frederick shook his head. They were so stubborn, so determined. He would have to find a way to keep them away from any information and thus away from Tony.

"Those men are probably kilometers away from here now." he tried

Samuel stood up, his facial expression hardening.

"A long journey awaits us. We must not waste any more time."

"Samuel..." Frederick began before being cut off

"I will not give up ! The stone is somewhere, Frederick, maybe nearer than we might even think ! And I cannot fathom to not chase those humans down while we are so close !"

Frederick lowered his head. Guilt gripped his heart as he remembered for the billionth time what it meant for the clan and what Frederick was taking out of their reach. A disturbing conversation between him and his conscious started, covering the voices of the other vampires in the room.

"_You are an egoistic prick"_ his conscience said.

"_I cannot let him die." _

"_One life for millions of new chances. It's a fair trade." _

"_He is innocent." _

"_Those persons were innocent too when they were snatched from their lives. You too were innocent before those monsters took your life away from you as they did with your wife and children." _

"_Tony is family."_

"_But he is not your flesh and blood. He is nothing but a shell, a pass to your freedom. When he dies he will disappear from the surface of the Earth as well as your memories. No one will remember him. There will be no trace of him left whatsoever. Those persons trust you, they have hope ; hope to be able to embrace life in its whole once again, hope to start anew, and you could grant it to them, grant it to you. Just a few words and all this bloodsucking nightmare would be history. Your children would be able to grow up and have the life they deserve. They would be able to find love and start a family of their own. You to be the doctor you always wanted to be. Everything will become possible. Just a few words. Just a few words and it's over. Over."_

A few words. He could say "I know where the stone is" and everything would be over. It sounded so simple. Almost too simple. And then what ? He confessed and all would rush toward the Thompson's ? Drag Tony away from his restful sleep to throw him into the flames ? He swallowed.

As he lifted up his head again, he realized the crowd was gathering toward the exit.

Freda answered his questioning gaze : "We are going to try and figure where they could have fled and get more information about the stone. Frederick, this is it. It has finally arrived. Our chance to be mortal again. We are so close, darling. In our long hundred years of wandering, we had never been so close to be successful."

There suddenly was a lump in the male's throat. His wife's ecstatic smile annoyed him to no end. She was just making this harder for him. Yes, he was a traitor. Yes, Gregory would probably serve his head up on a plate for his horrendous actions toward his own family and clan. Yes Anna would cry a river, Rudolph turn his back on him and Freda ask for divorce papers. He was in no need to be reminded of those facts.

His throat was too sore to allow him to speak so he just smiled weakly and kissed Freda's forehead. The less he would show, the better.

X

A noise of metal broke the disturbing silence of the bedroom. Still spread on the bed, Gregory lifted up his gaze to see Tony taking a bottle of vodka out of his dresser. When the human opened it and brought it to his lips, the vampire sighed, desperate.

"Really, Tony ? Vodka ? At this hour of the night ?"

No answer came – too busy as he was swallowing the content of the bottle like he would have done with water – and the vampire sighed some more.

"You know I hate that."

"Don't give a shit !" answered casually the human before taking another sip of the transparent liquid.

"You poison yourself ! First you destroy your sweet smell with that disgusting brown thing and now this !"

Tony met Gregory's eyes, a flash of anger in his : "I am not a flower, thank you for the "sweet smell" ! If you want a "sweet smell" go get yourself a girl !"

Gregory shrugged : "Yours do me just fine !"

Silence filled up the room for a few more minutes during which Tony drank several gulps of vodka. The vampire watched the movement the Adam apple made as the transparent liquid passed beneath it. The regular movement of waves as well as the sounds Tony's throat emitted whenever the liquid entered it were fascinating. And disturbing.

He cleared his throat.

"You gonna get drunk !" Gregory warned with a scowl

"You gonna get a chance to fuck me at your will !"

"No thank you !"

Tony turned to face the vampire, surprise lightening his features : "I thought that's what you wanted ?!"

"With this thing running down your veins ?" Gregory began disdainfully, "No thank you. Your sweet blood gets polluted and you're no longer comestible. A pity, really."

Tony raised his eyebrows, a small smile gracing his lips. He walked toward the bed with a predatory determination in his eyes. He sat on the vampire's lap, a leg at each side of his hips. Gregory checked him up and down with annoyance.

"Don't wanna get high with me ?" whispered the human in his ear, the warm breath making him shiver.

Gregory pulled a bit away to look at him in the eye. He was so beautiful. Such beauty ought not to even be legal. For a split second, he thought to have seen the blue of Tony's eyes being replaced with ruby red diamond. He shook his head. Tony's alcoholic state was affecting him more than he gave it credit for.

"What ?" asked Tony with an amused smile, "did I take your breath away ?"

Gregory frowned at the poor pun : "No, babe, that happened a few centuries ago."

Tony did not hear the hurt in the vampire's voice. He took another gulp of vodka and put his free hand on the other's chest.

"You are so cold" he found it smart to announce

"And you rather clever tonight" he answered before snatching the bottle from Tony's hands who protested. "Enough, boy. I'm not particularly keen on having you getting sick on me."

Tony pouted : "You're such a spoilsport."

Gregory's eyebrows shot to the middle of his forehead. Tony looked adorable when he pouted. And when he was drunk (or in any weakened state), his American accent slipped over his Scottish one, making the sounds of his mouth a perfect match to his looks. He pinched his cheek for good measure.

"Hey !" Tony said before rubbing his now red cheek, still pouting.

He let his head fall on the vampire' shoulder and began to doze against his cold neck.

Gregory looked at the opened window. The night was bright and thousands of stars enlightened the marine sky. It conveyed a very peaceful atmosphere. With Tony in his arms, he saw the nighttime differently; it felt like Time had stopped to envelope both of them in a comforting bubble, warm and caring. It was as if Night opened a portal just for them, and for a few hours they were in another interval, deprived of any living (or unliving) creatures but them.

The world was theirs.

Thirty minutes later, Tony was snorting like a baby, spread all over Gregory's body. The vampire had his eyes locked on the ceiling ; the bedside lamp being the only source of light in the room. He put his hand on the boy's back and began to rub circles with his index finger. He remembered their first year, when everything was still so blurred and frightening. At the beginning, he had only wanted the boy's blood and it was – at the beginning – thoughtfully satisfactory. Months passed and his needs changed. He began to feel cravings he was unable to understand. Of course, he had always noticed how beautiful the human was, but that was not a reason to feel the way he was beginning to feel. He came, after all, from a time where physical attraction between two boys was seen as a high case of Devil possession and faced death sentences. Besides he was not even aware of the possibility to feel this kind of things - aka desire for a boy - _before_. He remembered blaming Tony. He remembered the fear and his total ignorance on the matter ; to want to do something but to ignore how. Tony was a 21st century kid, he knew better. But Tony was as terrified as he was, maybe even more since he knew for a fact that he would be the guinea pig in the end. And he had been. The first time he had felt Tony's lips on his own was pure bliss. He still remembered the tingle of warmth and softness that followed, the silk hair running through his fingers, the rapid breath of the boy. He had felt alive for the first time in three hundred and sixty four years. His desire for Tony had brought him back to life, awoken his numb spirit from its cold grave. He remembered the first time he had touched him ; this strange, unknown yet so addictive connection. There were things they would not do, mostly because they never talked about it. Gregory brought the subject once but the scandalized expression on Tony's face dissuaded him from reiterating the request ever again.

"Not gone, yet ?" articulated a sleepy mouth against his tee shirt.

Gregory lowered a bit his head, Tony was looking at him, still dazed from sleep.

"I thought you were sleeping !"

"I was. And then my brain somehow remembered you were supposed to be home before your father noticed your absence."

Gregory winced : "I think it's too late for that."

"So, does that mean you're staying ?" Tony's eyes were full of hope as he locked them into the vampire's.

"Ow ! Bloodbag !" he purred tenderly, "That _is_ so cute ! Really, you should stop pretending you're not madly in love with my wonderful being !"

Tony gawked, utterly outraged.

"I am _not_ madly in love with you." he interjected

"Okay, you are _just_ filled with admiration for my irresistible body !

Tony looked on the verge of crying out of despair : "Sure you still fit your boots ?"

Gregory ignored his remark as he exclaimed : "Look ! You drooled on my shirt !"

"I was dreaming !" Tony tried to defend himself

"Of me !" he replied with his best charming smile

Tony turned red.

"No ! If I were supposed to dream of all the persons I drooled on..."

"Tony" Gregory cut," it's _very_ important for your future that you never finish that sentence."

The human smiled : "Jealous ?"

"You're mine." Gregory answered with a seriousness in his voice that made Tony shiver

"You wish..." he whispered

"Why won't you just admit it ?!"

"Admit what ?"

"That you're crazy on me !"

"Because it's not true !" Tony complained, his face still wearing a very pretty shade of red

"Like Hell it's not !"

Tony did not answer. Instead, he turned over to lay on his back on Gregory.

"I'm your mattress, now ?!" asked the vampire with a cocky eye

"Nope. You are too cold for that and as hard as a rock. That ain't comfortable." Tony replied.

"Should I remind you that in _certain _situations you can be as hard as a rock as I am ?" Gregory purred

"And sexually obsessed" Tony finished

Gregory smiled and patted his head : "Only with you !"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better ?"

"By the way," he said, joining his hands with Tony's who did not protest. "I read this book about the chakras you lent me. Did you know you had one near your anus ?"

Tony closed his eyes in pure agony.

"I hate you."

"You sound tense" the vampire began, "your energy must be running bad. Do you want me to help you relax with that chakra of yours ?"

"Zip it or I kill you !" Tony said between clenched teeth

"You wouldn't dare !"

"Say the word once more, and you'll become Mr Heap of Ashes!"

"Such innocence !" the vampire said, shaking his head disapprovingly

"You're a nightmare..." Tony whined

"My bloodbag", Gregory whispered fondly.

X

Thousands of miles away from town, in a remote part of the Irish countryside, a cloaked silhouette walked towards a small caravan. The door turned on its hinges and he disappeared inside.

The interior was scarcely furnished. There were only a few cushions down the wall, a table with a candle and yellowed papers, a stool and patched up sofa. An old woman sat on the stool. She had a quill in her wrinkled hand with which she was scrambling strange words on one of the papers. The man cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"We found Irvan. He is dead."

The woman did not meet his eyes : "Then the vampire must know."

"What are we going to do ?"

The old woman opened her eyes. They were entirely white. She looked into his without seeing him and yet it seemed she was reading into his soul.

"We wait."

X

He missed him. He really did. Last night he had wanted to appear strong and detached by refusing the vampire's advances but now he starved of his touch. Maybe he should have let Gregory help him with his problems of spiritual energy...

_His arrogant, conceited, irresistible bloodsucker of a boyfriend._

"Mr Thompson ? Mr Thompson ?"

Tony raised his head to meet his teacher's worried expression.

"I personally think your pipette is sufficiently filled with acid solution unless you disapprove of the school choice of table material and wish to change it."

Tony checked said table : the pipette that was supposed to be filled with chloroauric acid was on the dangerous verge to overflow on his gloved hands and glass table. He swallowed and put the now empty beaker on the table. That was one of the reasons why he hated chemical classes, he could not allow himself to get lost in his mind like he did in literature or history.

"Tony ? Can you give me the sample ?" asked Emma, his chemical partner

He blinked.

"The sample ?" she tried again

"Oh ! Sure !" he answered, feeling like an idiot

"Thank you !"

He distractedly watched Emma as she poured the content of the pipette into another one. She had chestnut and curly hair and green eyes. She was rather small and thin. She smiled at him and her green eyes lit up. Her eyes were nice, but Gregory's were nicer.

_They are beautiful_.

He shook his head. He really was turning into a prepubescent female.

_Why did I reject him last night ?_

His silent question was answered one hour later, in gym class – martial art class to be precised. He had never been the athletic type and his disastrous exploits on the subject put him at the top of the list of all the potential dangers of the school, just under the slippery floor of the male bathroom and the broken stair of the second floor. As very few students wanted to die painfully – or just die – very few teamed with him, at least willingly.

Today, they were supposed to learn how to properly kick.

And today, just for Tony's luck, he was teamed with Elton.

_When I say my life could not get any worse, this is _not_ a challenge._

Practicing Martial Art with a guy who dreamed to send him to the morgue everyday _was_ probably the worst that could have happened to him. Because Elton had now a _legal_ reason to murder him. Settled on the tatami, the older boy looked at him with a carnivorous glare – and not the same carnivorous glare Gregory would give him in _certain_ situations. Tony swallowed nervously. At the other side of the room, Nigel sent him a look that he translated by : "I loved you, mate. RIP".

He swallowed some more. He was in danger.

In _real_ danger.

"In position everyone" called the teacher, "bow before your partner."

Tony bowed very stiffly. Elton imitated him with a dirty smirk. The teacher blew her whistle and his last journey to death began. Elton wasted no time ; he attacked him right away, kicking him in the stomach. Tony flew to the floor, respiration cut. His stomach burned and it was just the beginning. He slowly stood up and tried to kick him like the teacher had shown them but he just succeeded in kicking the air. Which did not the other boy when he hit his jaw with his feet. Tony fell again, tears in his eyes. His jaw was probably broken and it hurt like hell. He lifted his head up to see the other boy grinning at him.

"Oops !" he said with a smile, "didn't hurt too much, did it ? You're such a fragile little flower ! How d'ya do it with that boyfriend of yours ? Must be afraid to break you when he buggers you !"

Elton laughed. Tony saw red. What was wrong with them to always be comparing him to something springlike ? The pain in his jaw and stomach disappeared instantly. His eyebrows touched and he stood up again. The other kept laughing and laughing. The room seemed to have faded, only the two of them remained. His laughter echoed in Tony's head until nothing left was heard by his ears. A strange torrent of energy ran through him. He felt in danger, but he felt deadly. A force he was unable to comprehend was taking over his all being. Elton noticed it and stopped laughing.

"So what ? Ready for round 2 already ?"

Tony stayed silent.

"Let's see if you learned yo previous lessons !" Elton muttered with his usual smirk

He raised his fist in the air. But when he prepared for the collision with Tony's face, the latter blocked his fist in his hand and twisted it. Elton gasped out of pain. Shocked eyes settled on Tony. There was something about him. Something that told him to run away from the boy as soon as he could.

"Little slut" spat Elton to put on a brave face

He tried again to punch him but Tony avoided him with ease. Too fast for Elton to be able to anticipate anything, the blond boy proceeded to spin and kicked him in the face making him fly over the room to land at the other side under the stunned gazes of the teacher and the students.

A heavy silence filled up the room. Everyone had stopped their practice to stare at Tony who was panting on the tatami and Elton, crashed on the floor like a common rag-doll.

Tony tried to understand what had just happened. For a moment he had almost lost control of his body. No, better : he had found a new way to control his body. All those sophisticated moves he saw on TV but always failed to copy had become, for a small amount of time, natural to him. He looked around. Everyone was staring at him apart from the teacher who was helping Asshole number one back to his feet. He had a bleeding nose and a huge bruise on the cheek.

_I did that ! I did that !_

"Whao ! That was amazing, mate !" congratulated Flint who had just arrived by his side with his twin.

"Yeah ! Where did you learn to do that ?"

_I don't have a clue._

The twins were obviously expecting an answer.

_Find something. Anything._

"Umh... I don't know ! I was afraid I guess !"

_Ok, that was lame_.

Judging by the skeptical look in the twins' eyes they were thinking the exact same thing.

"And so fear turned you into Bruce Lee ? My ! I should watch horror movies more often !" Flint laughed

_Yeah..._

They all laughed together. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elton pretending to cut his throat with his thumb, looking straight into his eyes. On his lips he could read : "You're a dead man, Thompson !"

He swallowed. Maybe he should have let Asshole kill him.

"Mr Thompson ?" called the teacher "what you did today was very impressive !"

"Oh, erm... Thank you, professor !"

"Did you take sport classes during the holidays ?"

_Not a single one_.

"Yes, Madam !"

"That's really good. I see you on Friday, then Mr Thompson !"

Tony nodded and made his way out. Just before he existed the room, he remembered how badly he had bashed Asshole.

"Uhm, Professor Berkeley ?"

"Yes, dear ?"

"Is Mr Cunningham going to be alright ?"

"You broke his nose and he has a bad ecchymosis on the face but he will survive !"

_Oh my God ! I did that ?!_

"It's a wonder really you don't have a single scratch ! Usually you're the one heading up to the Nurse !"

_Yeah, I know... Wait, what ?_

The teacher had left the room. At this precise moment he realized he was not feeling any pain, either in his stomach or his jaw. He approached one of the wall mirrors to check himself. To his biggest astonishment, there was no trace of a bruise on his face. Yet he was certain to have felt his bone break. He frowned then shrugged.

He must have imagined it.

X

"But we cannot wait !" the man argued, "We do not have time ! Soon the Stone will be stirring from its long sleep. It is just a matter of days before its full power is revealed to the enemy."

"It is too late" the old woman calmly said, "The Stone has already awoken."

"The Guardian..."

"The Guardian could not prevent it ! The duty of the Guardian is to protect the Stone, not to control it."

"Then the Guardian failed."

"The Stone has not been destroyed. Therefore the Guardian did not fail."

"There must be something we could do to avoid a massacre. If the enemy knows of the Shell, we are doomed."

"The Shell is no longer the only one."

The man frowned : "What do you mean ?"

"The Power has been transferred to the most uncommon recipient."

"Are you implying that the Stone has shared its Power ?"

"It has. Without knowing, of course. Just a small portion of its limitless capacity, but enough to change everything, I am afraid."

The man sighed : "We should never have intervened and let this Energy the way it was."

The woman nodded slightly : "Maybe" she whispered

X

Meanwhile, at the Edinburgh Airport, a young woman was waiting at the Customs service.

"Enjoy your stay, Miss !" said the agent who had checked her passport.

"Thank you", she replied with a smile as she passed the door of the newly accepted guests in the country.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
